A family of four lives in a council flat on the top floor of a 1970s block. In October the ceiling partially collapses in the living room. No one is injured, but the room is uninhabitable. The council sends an emergency inspector the same day.
The inspector finds a Category 1 structural hazard under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. Within 48 hours the council serves a partial prohibition order on the room. The family cannot safely live in the flat.
The council arranges temporary bed-and-breakfast accommodation. The family contacts Support for Tenants from the B&B. The triage call establishes that the collapse was the result of long-term water ingress that had been reported three times over 18 months without the underlying cause being fixed.
A panel solicitor takes on the case. The history of ignored reports is documented. The claim covers compensation for the months of deteriorating conditions before the collapse, damages for the displacement, and a requirement that the landlord carry out the full structural repair properly.
The family is rehoused in temporary social housing within four weeks. The landlord carries out the structural repairs. The civil claim settles with compensation and a written commitment to the repair programme.